The company claims a 2X advantage in compute performance-per-watt compared to competing processors. The new chips offer a 50% improvement in clock speeds at nearly half of the TDP of the previous generation (Kabini). GPU performance-per-watt has been practically doubled compared to Temash parts.

AMD’s biggest selling point is efficiency, so let’s start there, right after we take a look at the branding of the new parts.

AMD’s new branding for Beema and Mullins

AMD has three new low-power Mullins parts and it also has new branding for the tweaked cores. Mullins parts can be distinguished from Beema products quite easily, as they sport a Micro prefix in their designation.

The E1 Micro-6200T is a dual-core clocked up to 1.4GHz with a 3.95W TDP (2.8W SDP). It features Radeon R2 graphics, i.e. 128 GCN cores clocked at 300MHz and it can handle DDR3L-1066 memory. The A4 Micro-6400T is a quad-core clocked at 1.6GHz. It has a TDP of 4.5W (2.8W SDP) and Radeon R3 graphics clocked at 350MHz. The quad A10 Micro-6700T is the fastest Mullins chip, with a CPU clock of 2.2GHz and Radeon R6 graphics clocked 500MHz. Both A-series parts feature the same TDP/SDP, 2MB of L2 cache and support for DDR3L-1333 memory.

Beema starts off with four different SKUs, two A-series and two E-series products. The E1-6010 is the slowest of the bunch, with two CPU cores clocked at 1.35GHz, Radeon R2 graphics clocked at 350MHz and a 10W TDP. The E2-6110 is a 15W quad-core clocked at 1.5GHz, with Radeon R2 graphics clocked at up to 500MHz.

The A4-6210 and the A6-6310 are quad-core 15W parts. The A4-6210 is clocked at 1.8GHz and it sports R3 graphics clocked at 600MHz. The flagship A6-6310 is clocked at 2.4GHz, with R4 graphics clocked at up to 800MHz. It also supports DDR3L-1866 memory.

Compared with previous generation Kabini and Temash parts, the new APUs feature substantially lower TDPs across the range. Both CPU and GPU clocks have been bumped up. AMD did not add more CUs, so we’re still looking at 128 GCN cores, but the GPU clocks are quite a bit higher.

Optimised power, reduced leakage

The basic approach is the same, so what did AMD do to boost efficiency and clocks? The company claims a 19% leakage reduction in the CPU department and a 38% reduction in the GPU. In addition, AMD tweaked thermal monitoring by taking more temperature readings on both the core and the package. This allowed designers to unlock higher frequencies, especially in boost mode, i.e. when opening websites, starting applications and so on.

Low-voltage parts aren’t meant for demanding applications, so the standard usage scenario does not involve more than a few minutes under full load. As a result AMD can afford to bump up clocks without negatively effecting the overall TDP, as the chips usually don’t run at the top clock long enough to make much of a difference. AMD calls its new trick Skin Temperature Aware Power Management (STAMP). The company claims STAMP can also extend battery life by completing tasks in less time, thus compensating for the extra energy expended at higher clocks.

AMD also tweaked its boost algorithms and power management. Thanks to reduced leakage, STAMP and other optimizations, Beema is about 20 percent more efficient than Kabini, so it allows AMD to squeeze more performance into the same thermal envelope.

Bold performance claims

AMD says the new parts offer a 10% GPU boost compared to the previous generation, with a twofold improvement in GPU performance-per-watt. AMD picked a few APU-loving benchmarks to compare Beema to Haswell and Bay Trail-M parts. The new APUs can beat the Pentium 3556U (Haswell) and the Pentium N3510 (Bay Trail) in PCMark 8, Basemark CL, 3DMark11. In the same test Mullins parts beat Bay Trail-T.

Naturally these benchmarks were chosen by AMD to prove a point, as they tend to like chips with snappier graphics and better OpenCL capabilities. In CPU-bound tests, the results should be quite different. While they don’t paint the full picture, the benchmarks are impressive, especially when you consider the prices of Haswell Y and Haswell U parts. Furthermore, Intel needs two architectures to cover this market segment (Haswell and Bay Trail), while AMD relies on just one, with superior pricing.

Beema/Mullins is AMD’s first APU with a Platform Security Processor (PSP). This is basically an on-die Cortex A5 processor with dedicated ROM and SRAM. It also features a cryptographic co-processor capable of handling RSA, SHA, ECC, AES and a few other crypto standards. While PSP may not be a big deal for home users, it should come in handy for embedded applications. We will take a closer look at AMD’s PSP and a few other Beema features later.

Overall AMD appears to have done a rather good job. Beema was never meant to be a huge update, it’s evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but the efficiency gains are very impressive indeed. Kabini and Temash were good performers, but Bay Trail parts offered a lot more efficiency making them a better fit for many form factors (namely tablets and hybrids). Their biggest competitive disadvantage had nothing to do with performance, it was all about efficiency. With Beema and Mullins AMD has closed the gap, almost.

AMD based laptops appear to be doing quite well in Europe. According to Context, sales of AMD laptops are up 10 percent in Q4 compared to a year ago. AMD bucked the industry trend, as the market was down 12 percent in the first eight weeks of Q4 2013.

The news may be somewhat surprising, as Kaveri parts are still a few weeks away. However, Jaguar appears to be doing quite well. There are a number of 11.6- to 15.6-inch laptops based on AMD’s new low voltage silicon. We are also starting to see 17-inch Kabini designs, along with Temash tablets and ultraportables. The prices are pretty tempting, starting at less than €300, which is almost netbook territory.

It is easy to see why they could be popular – retailers should not have much trouble moving dirt cheap laptops with stickers like “quad-core CPU” and “Radeon HD8xxx” graphics on them. Of course, in terms of performance Kabini and Temash can’t compete with mid-range and high-end quads like Richland and Haswell-based chips. For the most part the A4-5000 is roughly on par with Celeron 10x7U parts from Intel, which are 22nm Ivy Bridge dual-cores. AMD has somewhat faster graphics, Intel is does better in some CPU intensive tasks.

Context said AMD’s market share increased from 14 percent last year to 18 percent in the current quarter.

"What we see here is an example of the PC market fragmenting into more discrete customer segments," said Context cofounder Jeremy Davies. "Home buyers want tablets, businesses want higher-specification notebooks and are willing to pay more, and where a consumer has chosen a notebook, value is a prime motivator."

Toshiba, HP, Lenovo and Acer laptops seem to be doing particularly well. Lenovo’s IdeaPad Z585 was a top seller in Britain at the start of the holiday season.

A few days ago AMD leaked a set of interesting press renders to TechRadar, featuring a beefy Windows 8.1 tablet with a dock and some detachable gaming controllers in tow. Dubbed Project Discovery, the tablet is based on AMD’s new Mullins tablet APU and the company told TechRadar that the tablet will be shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

However, while some sarcastic punters may say this is a case of AMD emulating Nvidia in the sense that it’s building its own tablet to sell tablet chips few vendors want, this is simply not the case. Project Discovery is not an actual product. AMD maintains that it has no plans to launch an own-brand tablet and peripherals, but that doesn’t necessarily mean some of its hardware partners wouldn’t be interested.

But would they be interested? As a gaming tablet, with Windows bloat and an underpowered ultra low voltage chip it doesn’t make much sense. Mullins scores just 570 in 3DMark 11 and although this is 22 percent more than what the Temash based A6-1450 can churn out, it is clearly not enough for serious Windows gaming by any measure. Of course, there are plenty of casual Windows games, but then again developers of such games are focusing their efforts on iOS and Android nowadays.

In other words, the tablet doesn’t have much in common with Nvidia’s Tegra Note 7 or Shield console. It is closer to upcoming Bay Trail-T tablets in terms of hardware. So why the game controller then? Honestly we have no idea, it’s probably just a few designers showing off and getting some press coverage.

However, although everyone is focusing on the gaming aspect of the device, we find the dock a tad more interesting. It is said to use AMD DockPort technology and it’s packed with with USB ports, DisplayPort and HDMI outs and the render even shows what appears to be a LAN connector. In terms of connectivity, that’s what the vast majority of office boxes need.

Also, since AMD appears to be developing a platform with docking in mind from the ground up, much of the tech could be used for keyboard docks, which sounds like a much more tempting proposition for vendors. In essence, we are more interested in the convertible aspect of the device rather than gaming and a desktop dock. A convertible Mullins tablet would make a lot of sense, especially now that the first Bay Trail-T convertibles are starting to show up and Intel is going to great lengths to talk up its “2-in-1” approach.

The gaming angle appears to be in play just to prove a point. Although there’s really no market for ~2W Windows gaming devices regardless of form factor, GPU performance is what AMD hopes to use to differentiate its tablet SoCs from Intel offerings.

AMD is shedding more light on upcoming Beema and Mullins APUs. A lot of info on the upcoming SoCs has already leaked out, but now most of it is official, so let’s take a look at what AMD has in store for 2014.

Beema is the replacement for Kabini. It is based on Puma CPU cores and like its predecessor it features GCN graphics. In addition, AMD has added an ARM Cortex A5 core to boost security, hence it’s dubbed AMD Security Processor. The lowest TDP is 10W, quite a bit less than Kabini which started at 15W. However, AMD is now using Scenario Design Power (SDP) instead of TDP and we can’t say we’re thrilled with the decision to embrace what is essentially Intel’s marketing talk.

Beema should end up 20 to 25 percent faster than comparable Kabini parts. Much of the gain seems to be coming from higher clocks, as there’s nothing revolutionary about the GPU core, or the Puma CPU cores for that matter, as they are more or less updated Jaguar cores.

Mullins has a ~2W SDP and it will replace Temash, with an SDP of 3W to 4W. It features new Puma cores along with AMD’s Security Processor and its performance gains seem even more impressive. A 4.5W Mullins part should end up 35 percent faster than an 8W Temash in PCMark 8, with a 22 percent gain in 3D Mark 11.

However, there are quite a few questions to be answered. First of all we are not sure where the performance gains are coming from. The process is the same, 28nm, but it’s possible that the tweaked Puma cores are simply a lot more efficient than Jaguar, delivering more performance while keeping the TDP (SDP) low.

The GPUs appear to be based on the exact same GCN cores and the performance gain can probably be attributed to higher clocks. Bear in mind that GPU clocks in most parts were clocked at 225MHz to 300MHz (Temash) and 400MHz to 600MHz on Kabini parts.

There is no word on Turbo Core support, either. Last time around only the A6-1450 Temash part featured Turbo Core. In fact, Turbo Core support may explain the relatively high performance boost on Beema and Mullins, but at this point we just don’t know enough to make any conclusions.

Netbooks are still not completely extinct from the market and there is certainly a niche for these machines. We do know that Intel doesn’t like people to call non-Intel based machines netbooks, but the Asus Vivo Book X102BA is a small 10.1-inch notebook powered by AMD’s Temash-based A4-1200 processor.

This is a 1GHz clocked dual-core with 1MB cache 128 Radeon cores and HD 8180 based graphics clocked at 225MHz. It supports DDR3L 1066 memory, DirectX 11 and boasts an impressive TDP of 3.9W, that should ensure plenty of battery life.

The Swedish configuration of this notebook has 2GB of memory, 320GB hard drive and a 1366x768 10.1-inch display. It also comes with two USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 port, HDMI, VGA, SD card reader, 3.5 mm headset connector and Ethernet, as well as 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.0. The battery, depending on the configuration, comes in 22Wh to 33Wh and should be enough for at least five hours, probably a bit more with the larger one.

The machine should be priced at 3299 Swedish Krona that at current exchange rate translates to 380 Euro. There is no reason to panic, hardware in Sweden is usually more expensive than in rest of Europe and we believe that most of Europe should get this machine for close to 300 euro, which is a bit more realistic price.

It would make us much happier if Asus used a higher resolution screen, it would make an easier sell. You can get more details at the source here.

We have stumbled upon a rather interesting 11.6-inch notebook that is currently listed in the Polish market. It comes with AMD’s new A4 1250 processor that we all know as Temash.

HP Pavilion Sleekbook TouchSmart 11-e000ew PL (E4A19EA) is the full name and the machine has a AMD A4 1250 dual core at 1GHz, 4GB memory, 500GB hard drive and 11.6-inch 1366x768 multi-touch display. This small notebook with a rather underwhelming resolution won't break the bank, either, as its available for €428,96 or 1799 z? (zloty).

It comes with two USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, LAN, 802.11n, card reader that support SD or MMC, 1.3-megapixel camera. It comes with windows 8 64-bit and weights 1.4kg, but we could not work out the exact battery size.

AMD is finally taking Android seriously, but it doesn’t appear to be ready to make a serious commitment at this point.

AMD told CNET and PC World that it is indeed looking into Chrome OS and Android, but there’s nothing concrete yet. The first Temash tablets were showcased at Computex, but they run Windows, not Android. Meanwhile Intel is finally starting to score actual Android design wins with Z25xx Atoms and Nvidia has been in the ARM SoC market for years now.

There is a twist though. AMD is talking up custom APUs, which is hardly surprising as its Jaguar based products are probably the most competitive thing it has to offer. An AMD spokesperson told CNET that the company is committed to applying its intellectual property “anywhere where it makes sense” for its business and its customers. So basically AMD is telling the world that it’s willing and able to do custom Android chips, if anyone asks.

There is still no word on ARM-based parts though. AMD is working on ARM server chips, but there is still no indication that it is developing, or even considering consumer oriented ARM application processors. Unless someone kindly asks them to make some, of course.

Gigabyte is showing off its first Temash based tablet at Computex and it thinks it’s the best thing since sliced bread.

The Slate S10A is a 10-incher based on AMD’s new A4-1200 processor. The company says it can deliver up to 14 hours of battery life. It basically seems to be a revamped S1082, Gigabyte’s first Windows 8 tablet, but instead of a Celeron 847 it packs a dual-core A4-1200 with GCN graphics.

In addition to the Temash tab, Engadget reports that Gigabyte has rolled out 11 new laptops, mostly based on Intel’s new Haswell chips. Highlights include the P34G and P35K Ultrablade models, which are just 0.83 inches thick but pack Nvidia 700-series graphics.

In fact, all of them seem to feature Nvidia discrete graphics, which is hardly surprising as Nvidia claims to have grabbed 95 percent of all Haswell design wins.

An updated AMD roadmap, dated May 21, has been leaked by Computerbase.de. Other than the fact that it looks a bit like the tile UI of Windows Phone 8, there is not much to report, but there are a few interesting details.

It seems like AMD is bringing the Kaveri rollout forward by a few weeks, but we can’t be sure, due to the redesign of the roadmap template itself. It looks like it should launch in late Q3, although we probably won’t see it until the end of the year. In addition, the roadmap seems to confirm that Kaveri will use the new FM2+ socket. Kaveri is a 28nm part with GCN graphics and HSA support, and the new socket might have something to do with support for GDDR5 or even DDR4 memory in subsequent generations.

With regard to Jaguar based products, everything seems to be on track. Kabini and Temash will roll out over the next few weeks as expected. Vishera won’t be changed this year, which was also to be expected. All we can hope for are a few faster SKUs and that’s it.

The GPU plans haven’t been changed either. HD8000 parts are coming later this year, but bear in mind that they will probably be revamped rebrands of 7000-series products. Proper next generation products are coming in 20nm sometime next year, probably mid-year or the latter half of the year. Nvidia is taking the same approach and waiting for 20nm, so it is looking like a stalemate this year.

Kaveri is coming too late to make much of a difference this year, so Jaguar-based parts should mark the year, which is what we’ve been saying for a while now. Mind you, this is not a bad thing, as Kabini and Temash are looking very good indeed.

Just days after Microsoft announced the Xbox One, based on a custom Jaguar chip, AMD has officially announced Temash, Kabini and low-power Richland parts. Since we’re been talking about Jaguar and Piledriver for ages, we won’t focus on the actual specs this time around - AMD’s performance figures are what stands out.

Temash, or 2013 AMD Elite Mobility APU as it is officially known as of today, is designed for tablets and hybrids up to 13 inches. AMD says it delivers 172 percent more CPU performance than its previous generation chips such as Hondo and up to 212 percent better graphics, courtesy of AMD’s CGN architecture. As if that wasn’t enough, it is also 45 percent more power efficient than the competition and it has five times more GPU muscle than current generation Atoms targeted at the same market.

Kabini is now known as 2013 AMD Mainstream APU and it should cover a much bigger swath of the market. Compared to previous low-end AMD APUs, it delivers 132 percent better visual performance per watt, along with 127 percent better productivity performance per watt, which translates into more battery life, up to 11 hours of battery idle. It can also wipe the floor with Intel chips, with up to 88 percent better GPU performance, 33 percent better gaming performance and 29 percent faster file compression. The last number is perhaps the most significant, as number crunching was traditionally the weakest link in AMD APUs.

Richland had its name changed to 2013 AMD Elite Performance APU and although it doesn’t deliver the same leap in performance like Jaguar-based parts, it ends up 12 percent faster than Trinity in productivity, while visual performance is 20 to 40 percent better. The big news is that it is up to 51 percent more efficient than its predecessor. It also bests the competition in gaming by 39 to 72 percent.

2013 is shaping up to be the Year of the Jaguar for AMD. With three console wins under its belt, it is finally bringing the new core to PC lovers and the numbers look promising to say the least. In addition to being quick, the Jaguar die is tiny and should be cheap to build, which means better prices for end-users and higher margins for AMD. Now the ball is in Intel's court and we're waiting for its Atom "tick".